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Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

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Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#161

Post by jacquesm »

gozur88 wrote: post #136
mercer wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Locking just a wheel is a rookie mistake, of course! Always wrap it around the frame and something that is solidly rooted in the ground. It's just that even all that isn't always good enough if the homeless guy or professional bike thief has a power-cutter thingy.

My sister locked her bike to a pole through the frame in San Diego. When she came back literally every other part was gone, and the frame remained locked to the pole. They even took the cranks, the forks, and the brake cables. Who steals brake cables?

The people who steal a frame somewhere else. Otherwise they can not finish their bike...

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#162

Post by jacquesm »

nisse72 wrote: post #141
jlg23 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is it typical for a 13mm+ Ulock in Amsterdam to get broken? Yes. One thing that still works is to get two different high-end locks and to always use both. Most thieves specialize in one lock only. But I'd still not leave a decent bike outside over night.

I would imagine that an angle grinder works equally well with all locks regardless of brand.

Cold spray and a hammer is faster and much less noisy and does not come with a free pyrotechnics display.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#163

Post by InitialLastName »

dragonwriter wrote: post #150
InitialLastName wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a chicken-and-egg problem too... inner-city schools suck because everyone with money took their taxes to the suburbs (for better schools).

> That's a chicken-and-egg problem too... inner-city schools suck because everyone with money took their taxes to the suburbs (for better schools). Well, yes, but more to the point inner city schools suck in outcome terms because outcomes are driven more by parental educational attainment and other non-school factors (income is mostly irrelevant except that it correlated with parental education, and tax base is irrel…

To add to that, and as an example, I live in a (moderately) low-income immigrant enclave in a (very) expensive city with (very) poor school outcomes. There are lots of families with little kids on my block. Just about every night, weeknights included, those kids are out in the streets/sidewalks playing until 12-2am.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#164

Post by mercer »

ramy_d wrote: post #156
Nanite wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not competition with unguarded/unlocked bikes. In order to minimize chance of theft you're competing for least desirability and most effort to steal. Most if not all Dutch bikes are by default fitted with an O-lock, which is a good first line of defense, combined with attaching your bike to a railing/bikestand/tree with a decent hardened steel chain lock.

I heard 2 horrible things about O-locks. 1 - Every bike has them in europe, 2 - you can open them by jamming a flathead screw driver through the keyhole and twisting. Any truth to that?

O-locks are pretty much just a nice place to keep your keys while you're biking. Everyone I know goes for separate chains, usually on the pricier end. From what I hear the ones that look like round padlocks are ridiculously easy to break, and the ones with the square lock part with two pins is considered among the best (but sadly also annoying to use).

But that's what multiple bike shop owners told me and they all wanted to sell me a lock, so I don't know if this is true.

Edit: Oh, I forget. O-locks are also very convenient if your bike is still within eyesight and you just want to avoid run-by-thefts. Perfect if you're popping into a shop for food or cigarettes or whatnot.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#165

Post by jacquesm »

jmcphers wrote: post #8

One thing the article doesn't mention is how long the bicycle trips are. Surely the relative compactness of their cities are a major contributing factor! I live in America and commute on my bicycle almost every day. For me the biggest obstacle isn't the hills (which there are plenty of) or even sharing the road with cars (which is admittedly extremely unpleasant) but the fact that in the quasi-suburban area in which…

I regularly bike 65 km roundtrip 130 in a day, it is a good workout but nothing extreme. Flat ground really helps.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#166

Post by jdietrich »

jlg23 wrote: post #117
ramy_d wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get it - that competition is of bike thefts for unguarded and _unlocked_ bikes. Surely it means nothing. Do people not buy bike locks in those regions? Is it typical for a 13mm+ Ulock in Amsterdam to get broken?

> Is it typical for a 13mm+ Ulock in Amsterdam to get broken? Yes. One thing that still works is to get two different high-end locks and to always use both. Most thieves specialize in one lock only. But I'd still not leave a decent bike outside over night.

Here in the UK, savvy bicycle commuters buy an extremely heavy chain [1] and leave it locked up outside their office. Bicycle locks are a compromise because they need to be light enough to carry. If you don't carry your lock, you can use a massive lump of metal.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lDcViM1EKc

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#167

Post by mercer »

nisse72 wrote: post #141
jlg23 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is it typical for a 13mm+ Ulock in Amsterdam to get broken? Yes. One thing that still works is to get two different high-end locks and to always use both. Most thieves specialize in one lock only. But I'd still not leave a decent bike outside over night.

I would imagine that an angle grinder works equally well with all locks regardless of brand.

Yeah I think the main benefit of using two locks is that a thief will just go for an easier option. IIRC similar rules apply to home security. It's not only about deterrence; making your house more of a nuisance than other houses is important too.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#168

Post by internetionals »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #49
outside1234 wrote: post #5

Amazing infrastructure for cycling (at least in Amsterdam). Its also pan flat, so it is very practical to get anywhere by bike, in the way that San Francisco's hills makes it very impractical.

And yet it is one of the highest bike rates for a major city in the US (having fairly good weather for biking certainly helps). So far, more and better infrastructure has led to more biking, just like you'd expect. Plus, with the steady rise of ebikes, hills are only going to matter less and less over time.

Hear hear. And bikes reallybare a better sollution for traffic density (when possible) than counting on people carpooling.

Re: Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

#169

Post by mercer »

pepve wrote: post #137
mercer wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Happy to hear you had a nice experience! I'm generally not too 'patriotic', but I can't help but feel a certain pride when I see the insane amount of bikes, especially around rush hour, and especially when I see the variety of cyclists: pregnant women, the elderly, people in suits, a father/mother with a mind-boggling three kids strapped to the bike and a little kid wobbling alongside, and then of course the occasion…

Have you seen this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xjTJUCMTZg Video is in The Hague, I've seen it in Amsterdam though, a couple of times.

That's a great one and while I've seen a bunch of weird bikes, I've never seen that one. I love the pointlessness of it!
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